For NHS mental health worker Kathleen, her new little bundle of joy is the perfect tonic

I have wanted a puppy since I moved out of my family home at 18 years old. Me and my partner have only just bought our first house. We couldn’t wait, so have got a puppy and he has just made our house a home.

He is the best decision we have ever made!

Since we have had him he has settled straight in. He brightens up our day as he is very talkative and always talks back when he is told off and it’s adorable. The main thing that we love about him is that he refuses to walk when me and my partner are apart. He only likes to go for a walk when we are together and he walks between us. He just brings us together and is hilarious as he is very curious, but is a bit chicken.

He just helps make us laugh all the time and comfort us during lockdown, especially me as I work in mental health for the NHS. People say it was a mistake to get a dog so soon after moving and working on the house as it’s a lot of responsibility and pressure, but he is the best decision we have ever made!

Michelle’s dog Bix may have been an unexpected addition to the family, but now he’s what makes their house a home

We met Bix in the summer of 2019. As we’d recently lost our beloved dog Hamish, we were too upset to consider adopting another. But, on a trip to the Dog’s Trust to donate some of our items, we saw Bix and fell in love straight away – it was meant to be, and 9 days later he became an official part of our family.

At first he was very timid around us, but now his cheeky character has started to shine through and he is an absolute joy to be around. His funny antics make us laugh every day, and he really does have a beautiful personality.

His cheeky character has started to shine

He loves nothing more than being at home, and upon return to the house will immediately start rolling or running around out of sheer excitement. We tried to tell him he wasn’t allowed to sit on the furniture, but he didn’t listen, and always manages to relax on the sofa and watch TV with us in the evening. He even demands his own pillow to lie on!

Recently, we’ve been video calling my parents every day. Bix insists he makes an appearance on each time, so as soon as he hears their voices he’ll dash into the room and jump in front of the phone screen to say hello.

Alfie likes to keep his owner Jemima on her toes!

Alfie is a cheeky chappy who is only 12 weeks old. He adds so much value to my life. I’m a nurse, and after a tough day of treating Covid patients, he never fails to greet me at the door with a tail wag.

He adds so much value to my life

On my days off, I take Alfie on outings. Our most recent one was to a pet shop, where he walked out with a toy in his mouth. Luckily, I quickly realised and paid for it!

His love of water must be because he’s a cockapoo. He splashes his paws in his water bowl, digging to get to the bottom, and has recently taken his water obsession even further by climbing into the shower with me!

Skip went through a lot before he was rescued, but now he’s living his best life with a new prosthetic leg and plenty of love from Carly

Skip is a rescued Spanish Galgo. We’ve had him for just over a year. He was found chained up in a derelict barn, with just bread rolls around him that he’d been eating. He was also missing the lower part of a back leg.

A charity took him on, but he was incredibly nervous and unsure around people. They think his leg had been caught in a snare trap – who knows how long he had been like that.

He walks on the new leg as if it was his own

The only options were to amputate the leg or have a prosthetic made. I’m a vet nurse and I work in canine rehabilitation, so we made the decision to try the prosthetic. It was made bespoke for Skip by an amazing company in America and he hasn’t looked back.

Now, he walks on the new leg all the time, as if it was his own. Though he’s still shy at times, he’s grown so much in confidence, and he helps us raise funds for the charity who rescued him.

Emily overcame a traumatic start in life to find the perfect home with Abby and her husband

Emily is a very affectionate little soul, which is quite remarkable considering how she started life. She was found left for dead in the middle of nowhere and was malnourished to a tiny 10kg. With thanks to the RSPCA, she got to a proper weight for a lurcher and now she gets spoilt rotten at home!

Her faith in humanity, after everything she has been through, gives me hope

Her faith in humanity, after everything she has been through, gives me hope. I'll never get tired of her pretty little face or her chaotic whippet-sized zoomies around the garden. She's helped me make human friends and made my husband and I more active. Not to mention, she convinced us to rescue another mistreated lurcher!

Bruno has been helping Rachel and her family heal after the tragic loss of their previous pup

Bruno is my whole life! In April 2020, at the beginning of Covid, we were lucky enough to become paw-rents to Barnum, our first Newfoundland. Our love for Barnum was instantaneous and we enjoyed watching him grow. But just after he celebrated his first birthday, he became ill with a large tumour in his liver. We had no choice but to put him to sleep. My heart broke.

I never imagined my heart would ever heal, or that I’d be able to be happy again. But in May 2021, Bruno was born. Sadly, his mum passed away from heart failure after a c-section, so he was hand reared, and I knew I would have to be an extra special mama to him.

Eight weeks later, he came to live with us in Scotland. My very broken heart was about to start healing. From the first moment I saw Bruno, I knew Barnum had sent him to help me heal. It was instant love, and it has grown every day.

Bruno is 22 months old now and is the most gentle and loving dog. He knows when I’m sad and he’s always there to make me happy. Even when I’m happy, he has the ability to make me happier. He has healed our hearts and makes us smile every day.

He’s the sweetest puppy, but he weighs in at 66kg, so his zoomies are something special, especially when he’s running over for a cuddle. He loves to kiss, cuddle and sit on our feet – or sometimes even our knees! He’s the biggest bundle of love and I love absolutely everything about him. His love is special – there are no words to describe it.

He has healed our hearts